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Recently Answered Questions

Are there rivers, lakes and waterfalls in or around Mexico?

Ivan Castillo - Secure Title Riviera Maya

Laguna de Bacalar, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

There are lots of lakes in Mexico. One of the most remarkable lakes here is the one in Valle de Bravo. One of the biggest lakes in South America is Lake Chapala. Another beautiful lake the tourists love to frequent is Lake Pátzcuaro in Tequesquitengo, which is near Mexico City. There is a lagoon in this area that’s called Laguna de Bacalar, which is just amazing. The water there is a crystal clear blue as if you were in the Caribbean. That lagoon is just very beautiful.

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How much does food cost in Portugal?

Ana Ferraz

The amount you will spend on food here in Portugal would depend on for how many people you are buying. The cost for a couple with one son would average about $100 to $300 a week.

Sometimes I don’t have lunch at home but we’ll have dinner and sometimes I have a big lunch and I don’t eat dinner, for the cost for us really varies. Going to the supermarket, I spend an average of about €60 (US$ 65 or £43) a week. Then I’ll go to the fruit and vegetable market, the butcher, the fish market and spend another €50 (US $54 or £36). The cost of food in Portugal is about a quarter less than in England.

To cite some examples, a whole chicken is about €5 (US $5.42 or £3.60). A sliced loaf of white bread costs €70 cents (US $76 or £50). I buy whole wheat bread that is uncut from the bakery that costs me about €1.50 (US $1.62 or £1.08).

The cost of food in the markets in Portugal really varies. I cannot report the exact costs because I am not a supermarket person. I go to the supermarket once a month to buy cleaning product and canned foods. That’s about it. I don’t buy any food from the supermarket. There is a street market close to where I live here in Portugal and every Saturday and Sunday, I go there to buy my vegetables. I buy eggs from free-range chickens from a lady who sells them. I buy all the meat from the butchers and I buy fish from the fish market. The reason why I don’t buy fresh produce from the supermarket is because they don’t taste the same. Most of them come from Spain so they have travelled for days and have been refrigerated. When I put it on the table, it lacks flavor.

It’s like in England. In England, the food is appalling because there is no flavor. When I eat potatoes here in Portugal, they do taste like potatoes. When I go to England, the potatoes don’t taste like anything. Same thing with tomatoes. The tomatoes in Portugal taste and smell like tomatoes but in England don’t taste nor smell like tomatoes. The reason why I like buying from the street market instead of the supermarket is because the food that they sell in the street market comes directly from the producers or farms. That is commonly done in Portugal. The way that I buy is not unusual at all in Portugal. A lot of people buy from the street markets here in Portugal because people like the flavor of food. People who appreciate good flavor in foods go to the street markets. Those people who like processed food or pizzas go to the supermarkets.

What's the closest airport to Placencia, Belize and what are the flights to and from Placencia, Belize?

Wayne Robbins - The Placencia

Placencia dock, Placencia, Belize – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The closest airport to Placencia right now before the airport our development is building and will open in 2016, is Placencia Airstrip. (Our airport will be an international airport.)

Belize International Airport is the only international airport right now until our airport opens up in Placencia. From Belize International Airport, you need to take a puddle jumper over to Placencia, which is a 20-minute trip. In the next year, you will be able to fly directly into Placencia to...

In general, how does the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) affect me if I move overseas?

Terry Bradford

The US government feels that there are people who have left the country who have not paid the lawful taxes owed to them. That obviously does not affect me or my husband, because we do not owe taxes to the US government, but I am sure that there are people over the years who have left the US owing everything from child support to taxes. The US government wants their taxes. So in order to oversee that, you need to file a Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) form and if...

Are there any English-speaking churches in Nicaragua?

Valeria Espinoza - Gran Pacifica

Yes, there are a few English-speaking churches in Nicaragua. You only have to make sure you are attending the correct schedule, since the English service may be a special service.

Some of the churches in Managua where they offer an English service are the Catholic Mass at Devine Mercy Church in Villa Fontana, the Covenant Church Inter-Denominational and the International Christian Fellowship.

I...

What do I need to know about pet shipping to Panama, pet travel to Panama and pet transport to Panama?

Jackie Lange - Panama Relocation Tours

Dog on a bike, Panama – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

If your pet is certified as a support animal, they can stay on the plane with you.

(Dog riding shotgun on a bike, Panama, pictured.)

Recently Posted Expat Stories

General Guide to Buying or Selling Real Estate in Panama

Curious about how to buy or sell real estate in Panama? Dream beachfront property – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

This story will cover the basics on buying or selling real estate in Panama, including the costs of buying or selling property and the conveyance process.

In some cases, but not all, the first step in the sales process is a Promise to Purchase agreement, whereby the buyer puts down a good faith deposit to take the property off the market for a certain amount of days. The real...

Bill Edsell on the Beauty and Usefulness of Palapas in Baja California

From an interview by Jet Metier with Bill Edsell, of Ventana Bay Resort in July, 2016.

Jet: We're speaking with Bill Edsell, owner of Ventana Bay Resort, in a large, palapa-covered room the resort uses as a restaurant. It is very comfortable; you don’t notice how hot it is outside. One side of the room is open to the Sea of Cortez and on the other side, a sliding glass door in the back is only half open. You can’t tell its 95 degrees with moderate...

Ben White of the Lake Chapala Society in Ajijic Reveals How LCS Has been Successfully Serving Expats and Locals Alike for 61 Years, and Their Exciting Plans for the Future

Chuck Bolotin: It’s mid-February 2017 and we have the privilege of chatting with Ben White, President of the Board of Ben White at Lake Chapala Society LCS and Chuck Bolotin

Ben White at Lake Chapala Society LCS and Chuck Bolotin

Directors of Lake Chapala Society (LCS), in Ajijic, Mexico, right here on their beautiful grounds. One of the reasons why we’re so honored to talk with Ben is that in all our travels on our road trip throughout Mexico and from what we know after reviewing thousands of answers on our site from expats about living in Panama, Nicaragua, Belize, and Portugal,...